Chemistry, organic micropollutants

The Modular Stepwise Procedure for
the analysis and assessment of watercourses includes survey methods in the
areas of hydrodynamics and morphology, biology, as well as chemical or toxic
effects.

The new module „Water chemistry,
organic micropollutants“, which is under development since May 2017, will
provide standardized procedures to the cantonal water protection authorities to
sample and assess organic micropollutants. The focus of the method will be on
the approximately 50 organic micropollutants that will be listed in Annex 2 of
the Swiss water protection ordinance, presumably in 2018. Thus it will complement the existing modul for the assessment
of physicochemical water quality and nutrients. Both modules will then allow to
assess all numerical quality standards listed in Annex 2 Letter 12 of the Swiss
water protection ordinance (Table 1)

Module development is lead by the Plattform
Wasserqualität (VSA) in close collaboration with an expert group consisting of
representatives of cantonal water protection authorities, Eawag and the Swiss
Center for applied ecotoxicology.

Module development is planned to be
concluded in 2018 and the methodology will be based on the following already conducted preliminary work:

Evaluation strategie for trace material from municipal wastewater treatment plants [PDF] in German

Concept to assess micropollutants from diffuse sources [PDF] in German

Experiences of the campaigns "NAWA SPEZ" from 2015 and 2017

Table 1: Parameters for the
assessment covered in the modules "Water chemistry, organic micropollutants" (draft
in preparation) and "Physicochemical Water Quality, nutrients".